BSAVA PetSavers launches PhD studentship to develop evidence-based toolkit for ageing cats

BSAVA PetSavers has opened applications for a PhD studentship aimed at creating an evidence-based toolkit to help recognise early disease signs in senior cats, building on its successful Ageing Canine Toolkit.

BSAVA PetSavers has opened applications for a PhD studentship aimed at developing an evidence-based toolkit for ageing cats, extending the organisation’s work on helping owners and veterinary teams spot disease earlier in senior pets.

According to BSAVA, the award offers up to £80,000 towards a postgraduate student’s stipend, university fees, equipment, consumables and travel. The application must be submitted by the prospective academic supervisor, with the host institution expected to secure any additional funding needed to complete the project. BSAVA says applications can be made with a named student or before recruitment has taken place.

The call builds on the success of the Ageing Canine Toolkit, launched in 2023 and later expanded through distribution partnerships. That resource, developed from research funded by PetSavers at the University of Liverpool, uses a traffic-light style checklist to help owners judge when changes in older dogs may be more than simply “old age”. BSAVA says the underlying studies showed that many owners struggle to distinguish normal ageing from clinical signs that warrant attention.

For cats, that issue is likely to be just as relevant. BSAVA has pointed to existing feline ageing research and a long-running healthy ageing clinic as part of the backdrop for the new project, which is intended to improve communication between owners and clinicians and support earlier intervention in geriatric feline patients.

BSAVA’s grant calendar says PhD applications submitted by 15 October are considered the following spring.

Image Source: BSAVA